Soundproof Your Room With These Cheap Building Technologies
Adding a laundry next to your bedroom can be convenient, but you’d better get used to every pop of the door and every wash cycle. During renovations or new builds, there are several inexpensive steps you can take to reduce noise spreading from one room to the next.
Sound travels best through the air, so make sure your walls are well insulated and there is no empty space between racks or around electrical boxes. Aerosol foam insulation is the most energy efficient and provides the best noise reduction.
Wrap acoustic filler over electrical boxes before repairing walls. You may need more than one to cover the entire box. This seal blocks open holes around the box and prevents sound transmission between walls.
The final step is to hang the 5/8 ” drywall twice and use an acoustic sealant . Acoustic sealant will not shrink, dry out, or harden, significantly extending its life compared to standard sealant. These last two steps will create an impressive sound barrier between rooms for little money.
Additional soundproofing tip: If the room has a vertical downpipe running through the wall, use cast iron instead of PVC for those pipes. With PVC downpipes, you can hear the water flow through each flush, but with a cast iron pipe it will be quiet. Watch the video above to find out more.
Soundproofing Cheap Tricks | Matt Reisinger (YouTube)